Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) filed a motion on Tuesday calling for John Boehner (R-Ohio) to be removed from his Speaker of the House post.
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The two-page resolution ticks off a litany of complaints against Boehner, including “the speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress has endeavored to consolidate power and centralize decision-making, bypassing the majority of the 435 members of Congress and the people they represent”.
There was no comment from Boehner’s office on Tuesday evening.
If the public tells congressmen they are unhappy with Boehner during the House break, he could be deposed or forced to adopt a more inclusive leadership style, Meadows said. Meadows’ motion has been referred to the House Rules Committee, a Boehner-controlled political backwater where problematic items have been known to die.
The rise of Tea Party sentiment, including the appearance of hard-right conservatives at congressional town hall meetings, helped push the Republican Party further to the right late last decade. “And frankly it isn’t even deserving of a vote”, he said. We have a very courageous member of Congress, Meadows, who has said enough is enough.
On Wednesday, Boehner shrugged off the motion to vacate as no big deal.
Boehner has been elected House Speaker three times.
Among that group, Boehner is “seen as establishment”. “Which is to say these things require and need time. Getting surprised by this”, said one Republican member, who, like several other House conservatives, asked to speak without attribution to avoid openly criticizing a friend.
Meadows was stripped of his position as chairman of an Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee after he voted against a bill – backed by Boehner – to give President Barack Obama more authority to “fast track” trade initiatives. The move will center around a different strategy and comes as a result of Boehner’s leadership team unsuccessfully attempted retaliation against Meadows for opposing Obamatrade.
“What I’m hopeful for is this provides the impetus to have a discussion, a family discussion, where we can start talking about how we can make sure that every voice, every vote matters and really about representing the American people”, he said.
Boehner suggested Meadows was acting on his own and his resolution would have failed.
Just a few days ago, Texas Sen.
After the measure was unveiled, the caucus held a members-only phone call Tuesday night to discuss their response.
Meadows is a member of the Freedom Caucus, made up of between 30 and 40 conservative lawmakers. I use “preside” rather than “lead” precisely because his difficulty in leading these folks is the heart of his problem.
“I disagree with the way this has been done”, Nugent said Wednesday.
But Costello said the effort was a distraction to the work the House of Representatives had before it. “This move has nothing to do with responsibly addressing the challenges we face in this country, and I don’t support it”, he said. A vote is highly unlikely before the August recess. The handful of allies to whom Meadows did entrust his plans, like Jordan and South Carolina Rep. Mick Mulvaney, urged him to reconsider.
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One thing Meadows could be doing, though, is blazing a path. He is the only one willing to challenge Boehner mid-stream, and he may be unsuccessful, but the next attempt may be less so.
